All that is required are an Internet connection and either a credit
card or a prepaid card denominated from 100 pesos (S$3.94) to 5000
pesos. Games can be played in either of eight languages—English,
Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Spanish and French. The
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the state-run lottery agency,
is to unveil the “Super Lotto” next week and is finalising
plans to introduce a variation of the popular yet illegal numbers game
called “jueteng” before year-end.

Awaiting congressional approval are proposals to legalise jueteng,
allow online betting for cockfights, and introduce the Japanese
gambling sport keirin.

The gambling rush is likely to raise the hackles of church officials.

“It all depends on a man's personality. The problem is not
gambling per se, if what they say is gambling at all,” said
President Joseph Estrada, whose campaign for the presidency in 1998
hit a snag with the release of a video showing him playing high-stakes
baccarat at a local casino with a known gambling lord.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor)—the
government-controlled agency that has the exclusive franchise to run
casinos and other gambling operations—will get 20 per cent of
the Internet casino's gross revenues in return for granting the
company the right to operate an Internet gambling site.

“The important thing is to be realistic and to consider the
pragmatic side of gaming,” Press Undersecretary Michael Toledo
said.